High court to hear faith-based case

Bush's attempts to expand government role at issue

Jan 09, 2007

For the first time, the Supreme Court will hear a case directly related to President Bush’s faith-based initiative, his attempt to expand the government’s ability to fund social services through churches and other religious charities. However, the case does not deal directly with whether the faith-based program violates the First Amendment’s ban on government establishment of religion, as some of its critics contend.

Rather, the Court decided December 1 that it will consider a narrower issue—whether a group of taxpayers, namely the Freedom from Religion Foundation, has “standing,” or the right to sue, over the use of general executive-branch funds to promote the faith-based plan.